With the help of the State Government and the Government of India, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) will power its entire campus with solar power. A 100 KV solar panel is being installed as part of efforts to achieve this. Presently, the MCD has a 10 KV solar panel on its campus.

 This solar panel is powering the accounts section of the MCD at present, said deputy municipal commissioner Rohitash Sharma. The project is being funded jointly by the Government of India and the State Government. The state’s electricity distribution licensee is funding the major part of the project and the rest of it is being funded by the Government of India.“About 85 per cent cost of the project is being borne by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) and the rest 15 percent will be funded by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Government of India,” said Sharma. The whole campus of the MCD will soon become energy efficient as it will be run solely on solar energy and the same will also be used at the time of the various events which are conducted inside the premises of the corporation. “The energy saved during the holidays will be bought by the UPCL and in this way the electricity bill of the MCD will be reduced by 70 per cent,” Sharma added.

Talking about the solar city project, he said that 19 solar powered traffic signals have been installed on the main roads of the city. Out of the 19 traffic signals, 11 have started to function and work is being done on the development of the remaining eight.“The solar city project is under the Dehradun smart city plan in which the roads will be covered with LED street lights. Other solar projects are also being developed and the information will be provided soon,” he said.